Gypsy Rose Dancing

A few weekends ago I traveled "up" to Boston for my good friend Kirsten's bachelorette party. Kirsten was my partner in crime here at Maryland for my first 2 years (we held the same position and nearly the same desk). Her wedding also unfortunately happens to fall on the same weekend as Meghan's...so I'll be unable to attend. Therefore I didn't want to miss the party.

As a bonus, my uncle (mom's bro) Kevin, aunt Jill and 3 cousins (Alivia, Mitchell and Grace) live in the Boston area and I have yet to visit them there since I've become a resident of the East Coast so it was a good opportunity to pop in. Contrary to Kevin and Jill's story about accidentally showing up to Erin and Shane's place in NYC a week earlier for a graduation (could you imagine the surprise on their faces when they opened the door to see their relatives on their doorstep saying "We're here! Congratulations!") - I communicated the correct weekend.

The fam picked me up from slightly delayed flight at the Boston airport Friday evening around 9:00pm and we headed to Harvard Square to eat dinner. A 30-minute wait at the restaurant flew by pretty fast as we chatted and Kevin and I shared a brew. After dinner we toured the area on foot for a bit (while our food digested and Alivia froze to death) before heading home.

Before bed, Mitchell showed me his artwork (he's really good!!!!) for school and Grace "graced" me with a piano concert. She then let me sit down with her and attempt to be her partner in a duet her teacher and her will be playing for an upcoming recital. Needless to say, I need work. But it was still a lot of fun...and Kevin's trusty camera skills captured most of it.

The next morning Jill and I headed to Grace's baseball game (shown on left at first base - number 8). Her team was far better than the opponent in my opinion and wound up winning although we did not stay until the end. Grace had to leave early for a soccer game (Man, this girl is BUSY!) and Jill kindly drove me to downtown Boston where I was meeting up with the bachelorette party. We said our goodbyes and I tromped up the stairs to the Gypsy Rose Studios above (see www.GypsyRoseDancing.com).

The bachelorette party actually started the night before with the ladies getting together and decorating shirts to wear Saturday evening. I entrusted another girl to make mine, however, because I was with my family. Saturday's agenda, which I met up with them to participate in, started with Exotic Dancing Lessons (floor, chair and pole routines). I was actually really excited for this and it wound up being AWESOME. When I arrived there was a costume room I was ushered into and encouraged to "pick out my outfit" and get changed. I went all out, selecting some boots, a ripped up strapless tanktop/short-short-short-dress(?) and a pair of "booty shorts" (who are we kidding. This was like underwear).

I walked into the room and instantly made a first impression on about 8 ladies (I only knew Kirsten and her friend Kathy). I laughed at the thought of what I must look like. Then, jumped right into the routine (I was a bit late). We learned a floor routine, pole routine and chair routine and it was an absolute blast. Great way to bond with strangers let me tell you.

Afterwards we grabbed some lunch and then headed to Kirsten's to hang out until dinner. Later on, as we walked to dinner and Kirsten had her "tasks" in hand (obtain 10 business cards from men that have to write "good luck" on the back of them, get a picture of a guy's wife, etc.) we happened to pass by a fire station. If you know Kirsten, I'm pretty sure you know what came next. Yup. She asked permission to practice her new pole routine on their fire pole...and they LET HER! It was a riot! I managed to snap a picture on my phone...not the best quality but glad to have captured the moment.


Dinner was at a Mexican restaurant and then we headed outside where our party bus awaited us. One thing to note, is that Kirsten had no idea of ANY of the activities of the weekend until each happened. Thus, when they were walking to the pole dancing class, she had no idea where they were going...and after dinner she DEFINITELY had no idea that we were headed to a brand new limousine party bus (only its 2nd night of use!). We had rented it for 6 hours...which with it picked us up at 8:30pm, gave us until 2:30am to have a blast...and we did. We made a few stops along the way at various bars...and not only danced the night away at the bars but on the bus as well.

Sunday was just a lot of laying around and relaxing until my flight left and headed back to good old Baltimore. Overall it was great to see family and a dear friend...but it is always great to slip into your own bed too :)

"Marco!..."

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to witness my first polo match. And while the University of Maryland was hosting the NCAA Women's Water Polo Championships...this is NOT the polo I am referring to. Oh yes. I am referring to the game that dates back to 6th century BC (some argue even earlier) to Persia/Iran. The game that is played on a field 300 yards in length and at least 160 yards in width. The game in which 4 players on each team compete riding horses and holding a stick - swatting a round plastic ball (this used to be wooden back in the day) into a goal on either end. There are 4, 6 or 8 periods (or Chukkas) in each game - and unlike most other sports - each time a team scores - they switch sides. Interesting...

I acquired a pair of tickets to "America's Polo Cup" - a game between the United State polo team and Australia - from a work contact of mine at the Washington Times (an official sponsor) and Shawn agreed to go with me. He is really into horseracing, and while this is nothing of the sort, it still involves throughbreds and competition, so he was game.

The event was hosted at a field in Poolesville, MD, about an hour drive from my place. The weather forecast threatened rain - but the day turned out to be absolutely gorgeous. The drive there was so pretty - most of it spent on a 2-lane country road with homes along the way that you can't even imagine. We kept asking ourselves what these people possibily do for a living. Personally, I felt like I was in the movie Annie - moving into Daddy Warbucks' house. To give you an idea, I found a listing online for the house on the right here with the red roof...asking price is over $3M. Mind you, this is NOTHING compared to some of the compounds we witnessed.

I kept saying to Shawn, OMG look at that one?! And he would respond, "I'm trying to get us there alive, dear. Gotta keep my eyes on the road...". Ha. I guess that is slightly important.

When we got there we parked in a huge field and had to walk to the will call tent. Shawn wore some nice khaki slacks and a button up. I wasn't sure what to wear - so I tried to play it safe with jeans and a nice shirt with heels. Apparently 95% of the women there decided to wear dresses, so I felt a little underdressed - but the funniest thing was that they all wore rainboots with their dresses. Why? Well - probably because they knew it was going to be SUPER muddy. Smart girls ;). I, on the other hand, lost my shoe once in the mud - it got stuck and I just kept right on walking. {Troy, it reminded me of the Colorado Blizzard when you lost your shoe in the snow and stepped right into the water in the parking lot, remember?!}.

With all the mud, we did one loop around the venue and then nestled into a table and chairs near midfield where we didn't move much from that point on. There was a bunch of Chukkas (periods of play) prior to the main event with various U.S. Polo teams (DC, Chicago, etc.). They were played on one end of the field, width-wise (due to the field conditions). Then they had some air entertainment such as a Coast Guard helicopter that took a few laps and even dropped/then picked up a guy via zip line. There was also a parachute drop - with 2 guys who delivered the game ball (slightly bigger than a softball).


The "real game" started about an hour and a half late. We were actually about ready to leave, but we kept waiting for "one more Chukka" because we were hoping the main game would be played lengthwise on the full playing field. I'm glad we stayed :) It was amazing to me the training that must take place for these horses to be as agile as they were. What was ALSO amazing was how brave some people were by sitting pretty close to the field. There is only a 6" tall base board that lines the sides of the field (note, that is 6 INCHES). Many people had lawn chairs and blankets lined up only a few feet behind this board. Apparently the threat of a horse weighing over a ton, chasing after a ball and not being able to stop before reaching the sideline, didn't scare anyone. What idiots. The announcer even called them "Stupid Americans" as he constantly warned the spectators sitting, and walking by, to get back.

At halftime (is this what they call it?), they had a divet stomp. They played "Pretty Woman" during this - as it was portrayed in that movie...where all spectators get to go out onto the field and "stomp" the grass divets into the ground. In the picture to the right you can see a few people heading out to do so, although there were a lot that wound up going out after this picture was taken. Yes, dogs were apparently allowed and also note the red base board at the bottom of the picture. This is what I was referring to above. Note how close everyone is to it! Another thing the announcer had everyone do at halftime was mimick Julia Roberts' fist pump (Click here for youtube :07 link). For those of you that haven't seen the movie - or been to a polo match....they are quite "uppity" and high-class. Therefore, a grunting fist pump is probably not something to be expected. The announcer made it quite fun though as he had everyone in the crowd pumping their fists into the air and yelling.

After halftime we devoured a basket of fries each. Shawn originally asked if I wanted to share some - but I reminded him how fast I tend to inhale things - and we opted for 2 baskets, 1 for each of us, just to make sure he got his fair share ;) Please note - he is a pretty fast eater too, but as most of you know, I usually bring home the blue ribbon. Bellies full, we had had enough (remember it started an hour and a half late...and we were early to begin with)...so we tromped back across the muddy field to the car, wiped our feet and shoes off with ArmourAll Leather wet wipes and drove off into the sunset of million dollar homes!

Final verdict: we both said we would go again. Very different - but fun. A great "first" with good times. Who knows - maybe next time I'll bring my rain boots and actually participate in the divet stomp!

{Breathes In...and Exhales}

It has been awhile since I blogged. I know, I know, KWoods is ready to kill me - and may have deactivated his subscription to my blog...sorry bro. Anyway, I need to get away from the whole "gotta have something super interesting to write about" mindset...because quite frankly as you can see that isn't really working out for me.

This past weekend was a breath of fresh air for me. My brother, Sarah and Sarah's best friend from college--Lauren came into town. Lauren was a bit of a surprise - she and I traveled to Arizona a month ago and talked of her trying to come down from NYC for Sarah and Troy's visit - but she was going to be vacationing in Mexico until the Thursday prior and had to come back into work Friday (the day which she would really need to spend traveling to see me). lol. No, Lauren didn't contract the Swine Flu. However, the "Powers That Be" at her firm, decided they didn't want her to come into the office until the following Tuesday, just to be sure.

So...Lauren jumped on Amtrak (shout out to ST) and made her way to the BWI airport where she surprised the crap out of Troy in baggage claim and then hid when Sarah announced via cell phone to me that she had just touched down. It was a great sight to see when Troy and Sarah rolled their suitcases out to the car...got in...and I started to drive away, only to swerve back over to the curb two doors later to a woman dressed in pink racing to the car - LAUREN! Sarah was so surprised...and the trip was off to a good start!

Friday night we got all dressed up, my friend Katie joined us, and we headed to Arlington, VA to eat at the restaurant/Latin Lounge Shawn works at: Guarapo. Yes...a little trouble getting there as the GPS on my phone didn't necessarily take us the fastest way and Katie's irritation, stemming from her starvation, was apparent. But...when we finally DID get there, the food was excellent and had a few nice tasting drinks as well ;)

At this point, Katie dropped the 4 of us off at a nightclub called "The Park" where we headed up to the fourth floor to celebrate my friend/coworker Jessica's birthday. "The Park" is a nice place where celebrities frequent and the DJ always plays good music. We took advantage of the good tunes - and wound up dancing the night away.


My roommate Danielle met us there as well. Funny story: my friend Marcus, who works for the NCAA and was in town for Lacrosse National Championship meetings, was going to meet us there also. He arrived at The Park at the same time as Danielle - we were a bit behind so while on the phone with Marcus, I described Danielle and he then located her outside, and started calling for her. She looked at him, like, "is this guy talking to ME? I have no idea who he is!" haha. And...that is how they met. By the time we got there they were old pals.

Saturday we laid low during the day, headed to the mall to make some returns and for Troy to visit his beloved H&M store. We then headed to Comcast Center (home of the Terrapins!) where there was an event called the "Catwalk Classic" taking place, hosted by a local radio station. Apparently it is a high school fashion show that runs from 5pm - 10pm. However, we were only interested in the first hour or so which was full of performances by the GS Boys, Yung LA and Keri Hilson. Sarah LOVES Keri Hilson so she was really excited for that part. The funny thing is, the event is mainly attended by urban high school kids - so there was a million 14-16 year olds strutting around in outfits they had probably been planning for weeks. I'm talking dresses, suits and hair all piled on top of their heads with feathers and yard sticking out. Meanwhile we threw on whatever we could find. The nice part was that we sat in one of our suites - so we had a comfy seat, good view and were a bit separated from the Mayhem.

After so much fun Friday night, we did briefly discuss if it were possible to have even CLOSE to the same amount of fun on Saturday night. With a different cast of characters, including our dear friend Greg - we decided it could happen. Greg used to work with me at Maryland but moved away last summer after he took a job with the University of Mississippi. We had been begging him for weeks to try to make it up for this weekend - but it just wasn't going to work for him since he came a few weeks prior and would be coming a few weeks later as well. As the stars would align, Greg was selected for an interview at Georgetown the Thursday prior and they agreed to fly him home Sunday (same cost to them!) - so he was here after all! We were so excited. (Better news on Monday was they offered him the job and he's moving back!!!) In addition to Greg, others such as my old boss ("best boss ever") Brett and Shawn and his friends joined us. Destination of choice was the Shadow Room.

Turned out to be another awesome night. Highlights included the DJ randomly playing an older song Troy had been talking about all day, Lauren dancing 3 inches from the ground AND me sweating so much that it started to soak through my dress. I felt gross but was trying not to draw too much attention to myself, so I made a graceful exit to the restroom where I proceeded to hang out and try to let my dress dry. Needless to say, as time was ticking and I was missing out, I wound up going into the stall, removing my dress and cooling off. The whole time I was hoping everyone would be having so much fun they wouldn't notice I was missing...which I think I achieved...UNTIL the DJ started playing Zombie Nation. Note, this is the song we play 23092039 times at our MBB games that anyone who knows me (especially all my friends that were there from work), knows I would be running to the middle of the dance floor upon first hearing. Anyway, as my friends quickly noticed...I was nowhere to be found...as I sat in the bathroom...waiting for the final pieces of my dress to dry. Probably less than a minute later I hear Sarah's voice in the bathroom, "Carrie? Are you in here?"

Busted.

Totally worth it though - as I reappeared a new woman with a brand new dress! lol!

A late night visit to IHOP with the 4 of us, Shawn, and his friend Asanti proved to hit the spot and then it was off to bed. Troy and Lauren headed out of town on Sunday and then Sarah left Monday. I was sad to seem them all go - but happy we had such a great time.

You know, Lauren and I were talking the other day...it is sometimes frustrating that I do not have my closest friends near me here in Maryland. However, sometimes I need to stop and remember that the value of a friend isn't necessarily tied to their zipcode. I am so fortunate to have some really great relationships with such awesome people and while I may not be able to see them every weekend - I know they are always there for me and it just makes me appreciate the time we DO get to spend together that much more :)

"Chirpy Terp"

It's here. March Magic. March Mayhem. March Madness. How do I know? Because ESPN is spending 80% of Sportscenter covering Cinderella-hopeful games and dunks by players in jerseys that from far away look like they belong to a power conference (Green/White - must be Michigan State!?) when instead they come from an unheard-of 13th-seeded Cleveland State. Thank god - because my 3 mile run on the treadmill this morning seemed so much easier with exciting highlights/upset-alerts to tune into, instead of seemingly meaningless NBA games or baseball spring training bouts that don't even count toward the season.

It's the time of year when people complain about things being unfair. Bubble teams that didn't "deserve to get a bid" (Arizona - who proved their worth last night by upending 5th seeded Utah in a typical 12/5 upset). I will admit - I was on the Arizona-doesn't-deserve-to-get-in bandwagon. I was convinced Saint Mary's (plays Monday night against Davidson - still alive in the NIT) deserved that "last spot". But let's be honest - it was more so just the Sun Devil in me lashing out.

People also complain about the placement of teams in the various regions - stating, for example, that it is unfair Villanova was placed in the Philly Regional. I am curious, how this is any more "unfair" than 12,000 fans in attendance at the second day of the first round in the East Regional - cheering with all their might for East Tennessee State, who was inches from becoming the first 16th seed in tournament history to upset a #1 seed (PITT). I mean - isn't that unfair to PITT? It is hard enough for the committee to seed/place 64 teams from ump-teen different conferences in four various regions - let alone worry about whether or not any of those groups of 16 happen to be from that area. And when does it NOT become a home game? Cripes - in the Women's Tournament - you are purposely placed near home in the first 2 rounds. At Maryland, we have hosted the first and second rounds the past 2 years now - knowing if we advanced to the tourney we would play on our home court. I guess I should wait for the complaining to start - although if you ask me - Dartmouth, Utah and Villanova don't stand a chance against the #1-seeded Terps anyway - we could play in Alaska for all I care.

Back to Men's Basketball though. So the 10th-seeded Terps handled Cal on Thursday and as my friend Joe, Director of Annual Giving for the Bears, humbly pointed out to me - we've now officially beat them twice this year. (Who could forget our football victory - shocking the Bears in a game that kicked off at 9 a.m. their time on that lovely Saturday morning back in September). Honestly, however, I do not feel like a 10-seed over a 7-seed victory is really an "upset". In fact, an 11-seed over 6-seed is even pushing it for me. But hey - I'm going to take Thursday's win. Because today's game for the Terps vs. the 2nd-seeded mighty Memphis Tigers would most DEFINITELY be an upset should the Terps somehow manage to pull off a victory...and the sparring has already began.

Contrary to the Maryland team - who knows each Tiger by name and what his tendencies are - None of the Memphis players have been able to name a Maryland player. Instead, they've noted "good guards" and "lack of size" regarding the Terrapin team. One of their players tried to recall the name of Maryland's mouthy Venezuelan guard, referring to him as "some guy named Sanchez." Um...It's Vasquez buddy. Close though - close. And when Mr. Greivis Vasquez was informed of the lack of name-recognition for him - he spouted back, proclaiming Memphis would have a losing record if they competed in the ACC Conference (#1 Ranked conference) instead of Conference USA (Ranked 10th). Awesome. And the fire on both sides has been topped off with plenty of fuel.

Thus...the inferno that has been ignited can now be put out the only way possible - the reason why this time of year is the best time of year. On the court at 3:20 EST.

I just wish Memphis didn't have such an unfair advantage - being that their fans only had to drive 452.13 miles versus the 1074.92 miles that Maryland fans had to travel ;)

How do you pick ONE if the HEART is in many?

A recent question, pondered by my favorite guy in his latest blog, has me thinking. One word - four easy letters - yet a definition so unclear and completely different from one person to the next.

HOME.

Where is it?

He makes a good point - that many times HOME is where you spent most of your years. A place where which you became a Man or Woman, learn life lessons and have fond memories. But, similar to the age-old question of "can you be in love with two people?" - can you have more than one "HOME"? After much thought - I've decided I have 4.

Iowa. The good ole' Midwest. A place where you can go running early in the morning, as the dew still glistens on the blades of bright green grass, and people who pass you by give you a friendly "hello" and a wave. A place where you can visit your old high school, walk the halls and receive warm smiles and even a hug from old teachers and a principal who are all still there. A place where the Panera on the corner of Collins Road and Council Street screams "eat here" and you know you can always count on your mom to come with you. A place where you spent a summer with one of your best friends - dancing at the Tycoon, drinking Martinis from a weird bartender down the street, watching movies in a home theater, laughing at Improv standup from Peter Fuzz and mixing popcorn and M&Ms. Iowa in itself isn't anything special - but the people there are - "Home is one's birthplace, ratified by memory."


HOME for me is Chicago. My favorite city in the U.S. (Gasp - "But it's so cold and windy in the winter there!"). A place where you still get the Midwestern friendliness and strangers offer helping hands. But a place with a bit more culture - more diversity - more of "not the same as everyone else". A place where I danced many nights under a chandelier at the Buddha Lounge. A place where Club 720 was open the FIRST time - and we were the center of attention until 4am. A place where I took art class, salsa class and painted pottery with a dear friend. But I think more so a place where I learned that it was okay to be ALONE - "No matter under what circumstances you leave it, home does not cease to be home. No matter how you lived there - well or poorly."

The Rocky Mountains of Colorado, with their snow capped tops and evergreen blanket, are HOME, too. A place I have traveled with friends, family and solo. A place where you can walk outside and hear absolutely nothing - except for the crunching of snow under your boots. A place where the crisp air and light, falling snow create this sense of peace that cannot be described - you just have to be there. A place where Bob Ross couldn't even do justice - where you are reminded how small you are in a world of so many other things. A place where we frequent Parrot Eyes and the Snake River Saloon - Christy's Sports and Gart - the Dam Brewery and the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. A place where hockey skates swirl around a big Xmas tree and a sleigh ride prompts good ole' country cooking in a cabin far away. It is here I yearn to go sometimes when I'm feeling a bit lost - "I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself."

And finally...Arizona. A place where I moved with strong motivation. A place where I learned more in 2 years of school than I had before in one semester. A place where I was reminded of the importance of girlfriends - but also learned a valuable lesson regarding the importance of not forgetting the old. A place where McDonald's became my Monday tradition, I fell in love with Mystic spray tan, I learned 3 miles isn't that far to run - unless it is 120 degrees and that there is no place like downtown Scottsdale. A place where I learned the Elephant Bar cures all problems, Courtney Village was a pretty good deal and the fast lane is sometimes a little too fast. A place where I was humbled, learned self-sacrifice and will never forget those that picked me back up when I fell down. A place where I yearn to go back for the sunshine - but not just the kind that sends warm light from the sky - "Home is not where you live, but where they understand you."

Buzzer Beater - Goes Both Ways

So...you can't wish for the last second play to go your team's way ALL the time. And while it does prove to provide a thrilling game for spectators to remember for a long time, THIS Cardinal fan found herself initially wondering Sunday night if it would feel better to have just got CRUSHED by the Steel Curtain.

I was in denial at halftime - as the Cards with a chance to take the lead by 4 points, 2 yards away from the endzone, throw that fatal interception that is returned 100 yards by someone that should've been caught. Time had expired. Can we just tackle him before he scores for THEM please? Apparently - not in the "cards". So...the rest of the game, I find myself calculating what the score "should be" based off that one turn of the tides. "Cards up 17"..."Cards up 10"... the mindsight didn't really vanish until Larry Fitzgerald emerges across the middle, splitting the Steeler defense in a perfect storm...and we all thought - OMG. We're gonna win. We were actually ahead - not just by my "should've, would've, could've calculations."

Needless to say - as soon as the anti-climatic non-review of the last play occurred (no, I'm not saying it should've been overturned - but cripes, it's the SuperBowl, can we at least give it another look?), I grabbed my coat and was out the door to go home. I didn't want to see the celebration...

Kinda like my boy Kurt.

However, last night as I was lounging on the couch - watching UCONN pummel Louisville and Tennessee fans realized that Pat Summit's historic 1000th win was going to have to wait another game - an interrupted highlight broke in. #9 Maryland Women's Basketball, down 2 to the 20th-ranked host Seminoles with seconds remaining. In fact, apparently the ticker ALREADY said:

Maryland - 69 Florida State - 71 F.

Dear ESPN - the game wasn't over.

And in typical Kristi Toliver fashion (famous for making a fade-away 3 during the national championship game as a freshman that sent the game into overtime - and an eventual win), she throws up a buzzer beater three over the outstretched arm of her defender and...swoosh. Terps win.

ESPN Ticker? Maryland - 72 Florida State - 71 F

Sports Center then ranks it the #2 play of the night stating: "Kristi would have been number one if it wasn't for this guy [insert Kobe Bryant]..." Guess a record 61 points by the NBA superstar last night does beat a 3 pointer for an ACC regular-season conference game...

And while a ACC-conference win doesn't quite hold the same importance as the Super Bowl either (or even close)...at least I felt a little better. :)

Blizzard in the Land of the Terps...

And I don't just mean the weather...but we can start with that. It snowed and rained and iced over two days ago - giving us our first school cancellation of the year. Of course, it was Tuesday at 12:30pm that people were told to go home - at which time I swore a few obscenities and then continued at my desk, preparing for the MBB game that evening. Ah yes....the luxury of working events. THOSE aren't cancelled so easily. Admittedly, I had my fingers crossed for TERRIBLE weather overnight, hoping for a cancellation the next day when I COULD stay home. I wasn't quite so lucky - but a 2 hour delay was nice :)

THEN...the other storm began. Our head men's basketball coach, Gary Williams commented publicly on a few recruits and then Senior Associate Athletic Director, Kathy Worthington fires back....while nasty, it could've ended there. However, we lose a 16-point first half lead to Boston College Tuesday night, drop our 4th ACC game, and after the game when Gary is asked about the whole altercation says: "Kathy Worthington doesn't speak for me. She has never won a national championship. She has never done anything. She is an associate AD."

Enter ESPN ticker last night during the #1 Duke vs. #4 Wake Forest game. Isn't that supposed to be for score updates? Not gossip? Sigh.

Today, a much better article appeared in the Washington Post (click here) and hopefully we can somehow squash the bigger storm that appeared the past few days - and move on. Whew!

In other news, I went out last Friday to see a cover band (Mr. Greengenes) perform up in Baltimore. Main purpose of the outing was to see an old coworker/friend, Matt, who was in town. Much fun was had by all although I was tired by about 11:00pm. :) Here are some pics from the event:

Me and Danielle (one of my roomies!)

This is Matt - the whole reason I went :)

Some more of the Crazies that came with us!

Anyway, not much else to share except I have planned a trip back to Arizona in April. First weekend - and I cannot wait. WOO HOO! :)